When Prototypes Go Wrong....

[thinckley]

I was working on my second holster today and with 90% complete I realize that it sits too high on the belt.

My question is this. How much effort do you put into "fixing" a prototype before chalking it up to a learning experience and tossing it in the round file?

I'm sure that I could re-work this one to be servicable, but it will never be sellable.

[glockanator]

I always finish. Mainly because I am OCD and it drives me nuts to have a half done project. The other reason is once finished it eill show everything that's wrong with it.

[mlapaglia]

If its easy to fix I fix it since its a prototype. If its going to be a PIA then I dump it in the oops box and start again with an adjusted pattern. This is what prototyping is all about.

[Tugadude]

I say fix it and either use yourself or if it is not saleable in the "fixed" condition, maybe give it to a friend. I bet it would be much appreciated.

[Lobo]

I call them chew toys.

[thinckley]

Yeah, I've already called it a lost cause and moved on. The second version is already looking better. Thanks for the affirmations.

[TexasLady]

If we were talking about prototypes in general, I would have a different opinion from talking about a gun holster. I think you did the right thing in calling it a lost cause, thinkley, considering the importance of functionality of a gun holster. There was no photo, but just using my imagination, it's probably like the prose that says, "A rose by any other name is still a rose." Well, "A gun holster by any other name is still a gun holster."

When I botched a small salmon skin purse, I finished it, took pictures of it (to document the mistake) and then took it apart and restructured it. I'd tanned the skins myself and couldn't bear to throw them in the trash can.

[thinckley]

  On 7/13/2015 at 1:19 AM, TexasLady said:

If we were talking about prototypes in general, I would have a different opinion from talking about a gun holster. I think you did the right thing in calling it a lost cause, thinkley, considering the importance of functionality of a gun holster. There was no photo, but just using my imagination, it's probably like the prose that says, "A rose by any other name is still a rose." Well, "A gun holster by any other name is still a gun holster."

When I botched a small salmon skin purse, I finished it, took pictures of it (to document the mistake) and then took it apart and restructured it. I'd tanned the skins myself and couldn't bear to throw them in the trash can.

I think I would like to see a salmon skin purse.....

This was one that I couldn't disassemble and fix, what with the glue and all. It sat too high on the belt and any attempts to "fix" it would not even have been up to par for a "keep it in a drawer and only pull it out at midnight on a new moon when no one is within 100 miles" type job.

[TexasLady]

Sounds right.

Here's my prototype little purse beside its Fossil inspiration. (Yes, this indicates delusions of grandeur.) I'm wondering if I ever took pictures of the "do-over". It wasn't that it looked so bad. It was that I could barely get it to unzip around the tight little corners.

Edited July 13, 2015 by TexasLady

[thinckley]

That's pretty slick..... How is fish hide to work with?

  On 7/13/2015 at 3:58 AM, TexasLady said:

Sounds right.

Here's my prototype little purse beside its Fossil inspiration. (Yes, this indicates delusions of grandeur.) I'm wondering if I ever took pictures of the "do-over". It wasn't that it looked so bad. It was that I could barely get it to unzip around the tight little corners.

[TexasLady]

That's a good question. The ones that I tanned (salmon and the one shown, of which I've forgotten the name) came out rather stiff, almost like plastic. But when I did research, I found online a description of a 'salmon skin tanning class' where a woman said she loved how soft the tanned salmon skins were. Apparently this softness (or lack of it) depends on the tanning solution that is used. I also found online where an Australian fish skin processing company gave some examples of tanning solutions and their results. (I can't find this one right now.) I used the standard Tandy offering,... the same as what you'd use on cowhide.

http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2013/08/05/3818592.htm

This site implies that the softening is done 'after' the tanning.

"...then they are tanned, died, dried, sanded, trimmed, softened and then glazed to give a nice smooth finish."

But this other site gives a slightly different version.

http://www.sealeatherwear.com/mobile_fish-leather-tanning.php

"The special tanning process prevents the fish leather from becoming stiff, once the oils are taken out."

Edited July 13, 2015 by TexasLady